There was a time when people would have been mortified to be featured on the People of Walmart website. But that was years ago. In fact, I wrote a blog piece several years ago about this very topic and I was blasted by the 20 something crowd for being insensitive, not minding my own business, or even worse, being a hater.

To set the record straight, I am not now, nor have I ever been, a hater. I am definitely a peace and love kind of girl. Perhaps I should just mind my own business, but I am a teacher by nature, whether it is teaching children, or sharing a tidbit of wisdom here and there with fellow adults.

Today’s bit of wisdom is to please put your clothes on. The truth is, people judge you in about 2.5 seconds based solely on your appearance. Your boss judges you, your neighbors judge you, the barista at your favorite coffee shop judges you. Have you ever noticed that a nicely dressed woman (who looks like she can actually purchase something) gets customer service rather quickly, while the sloppily dressed woman has to ask several times and gets told, “I’ll be right with you,” meaning the sales clerk is going to help the woman with money as opposed to the woman who didn’t even bother to brush her hair today.

Is this attitude of judging fair, certainly not, but is it going to go away any time soon? Should people judge you? Probably not, but all the same it is happening, and it is happening every single day.

Also, I like to look at it from a different perspective, a more positive perspective. When I wake up 15 minutes early to put on some make up, fix my hair, and put on a pretty outfit I selected the night before, I am telling the world that I think I am important. I am saying that I am worth the fifteen minutes it took to look like this. When I see women in ripped sweats, stained shirts, house shoes, or pajamas, I don’t see a woman who is comfortable, or a woman who feels good in her own skin. I see a woman who has given up on herself. A woman who shows the world she isn’t even worth putting on a pair of pants or a swipe of lipstick.

I know it takes time and effort to look nice but you can make it happen. Working women have been doing it for years. I am a working mother of two. I wake up at 4:50 am to get myself ready, get my children ready, drive a 35 minute commute, and be in my classroom by 7:00 am every day. True, I could sleep in an extra fifteen minutes and go to work looking like a disshevled mess, but I care about myself, my appearance, and the message I put out to the world.

Believe me, I love pajamas very, very much. I spend a decent amount of money purchasing the softest and coziest of nighties, two piece sets, and dressing robes. One of the greatest pleasures in life for me is removing my day clothes and slipping into my jammies and my slippers. But pajamas are for wearing inside your home. I would never in my wildest dreams think of going to Target, or Kroger, or even Walmart for that matter, in my pajamas and slippers. Yet I see it all the time!

I already know what people will say, “but I have a right to be comfortable.” I agree with that, I truly do. I also love to be comfortable. If you go in my closest you will find several pairs of black knit pants with comfort stretch waist bands. L.L. Bean and J.Jill sell the best ones that hold up for a couple of years. They feel like pajamas but look like a nice pair of slacks.

Many of my shirts are glorified t-shirts. I get them with v-necks, boat necks, short sleeves, elbow length sleeves and 3/4 sleeves. I get them in solids, prints, and nautical stripes. On a hot sweltering day I might just wear a t-shirt and a pair of shorts, but in just a moment I can toss on a pretty scarf in a light weight material, a pair of sandals, and a cute clutch or hand bag and look very dressy!

I indulged this summer with some great tees from J.Jill and even purchased the matching scarfs. J.Jill is one of my favorite stores because the clothes feel like pajamas but are elegant and they do all the color matching and coordinating for you.

Another great way to look fabulous with minimal effort is to adopt a French capsule wardrobe. I am not a minimalist, I could never live with just a few pieces of clothes, but what I have really done is turned my wardrobe into two capsules. One capsule is very French, black pants, breton shirts, gray drape cardigans, white t-shirts, a red scarf, etc. The other capsule is my color coordinated capsule, with corals, lavenders, and a sage green color, along with a pair or white jeans, khaki pants in a stretch material that feels heavenly, and fun scarves. It took me a while to put my wardrobes together, but once it is done it makes getting dressed so much easier. You know everything in your wardrobe works together. You also know that everything in your capsule will be perfect because you only purchase clothes you absolutely love!

Dressing nicely is something I have tried to do my entire life. Recently though, I read several books written by Jennifer L. Scott that are truly little works of art. Her suggestions for creating you Ten Item Core Wardrobe and tips on the five minute face and hair are fool proof.

Also, a big part of her book series is not about advising you what to buy, but advising you that you probably already have a lot of what you need, and to hold on to your money and only spend it when you do find that piece of clothing that you simply have to have, but only if it works with the clothes already in your own closet.

Finally, her books encourage women to once again use grace, manners, and poise to get through the ins and outs of their day. She shows how you can be a lady even in the most trying times. Think Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly, Catherine the Duchess of Cambridge, even Taylor Swift. When the going gets tough these women don’t throw a hissy fit and scream and curse like the Real Housewives or Wherever. They have a stiff upper lip, they give a pretty smile, and they walk away, all the while looking fabulous!